[Clinical laboratory diagnosis of alcoholism-related heart disease]

Examination of 185 alcoholics with leading somatic syndrome of alcoholic heart damage included electrocardiography, ultrasonic scanning of the liver, measurements of the activity of AsAT, AlAT, alkaline phosphatase, GGT, concentration of free amino acids in the serum. It is demonstrated that alcoholic damage to the myocardium develops in parallel with disturbances of the central and peripheral nervous systems independently of hepatic pathology, duration of alcoholism and its stages. Alterations in the levels of some amino acids accompany development of psychoneurological symptoms and registration of ECG shifts. The discussion concerns the role of amino acid metabolism disturbances in the clinical picture of somatic manifestations of alcoholism.